Month: December 2007

Being a tech

I thought that working at the teen drug treatment center visions would be easy when I first started working there because I am an alumni. I know what it’s like to be an adolescent in treatment. However, it was more difficult than I thought. I had to tell the kids what to do and they did not always want to listen to me. Sometimes they saw me as just another kid who was just little bit older than they were. I learned to work being their age to my advantage. As time went on, I learned how to be of helpful and enforce the rules in a way they could understand me. They no longer rejected me because I was too young. The best thing I had going for me was that I was an alumni and that I could understand what they were going through because I had done the same things when I was a resident in teen drug treatment. After more and more time went by, I was able to gain the respect and trust of the residents. I was there to help and not boss them around.

Now that I have been working at Visions for a while, the problem never comes up about my age. I am older now. I’ve learned a lot through my work and life experience. I am glad that I don’t have to be in teen drug treatment or go through that uncomfortable stage of my work experience anymore but if I had to do it all over again, I would!

I never thought it would happen to me. I never thought that I’d become a teen addict. In fact, I never saw myself even touching drugs or alcohol. I’d watch my parents drinking and be disgusted by their behavior. I was a straight ‘A’ student, I was on the cross-country team, I played soccer, and I played the piano. In other words, I was your typical sweet and innocent “goody-two-shoes” kind of girl.
But, I grew up with the feeling that I never fit in. I always felt as if I was on the outside looking in. So, when I got to high school, I decided that I was going to become “popular” and do whatever I had to do to fit in. At the age of fifteen I was introduced to drugs for the first time. The first time I got high, I felt an utter sense of relief. I finally felt like I fit in; I felt like I was finally ‘a part of’. The drugs made me who I thought I always wanted to be. I could be loud and outgoing, I could dance, and I could be the life of the party. But, things went downhill, and they went downhill fast. By the age of sixteen I was dating a drug dealer and was in lost in this world of drugs. Soon, my life revolved around using. Everything else came second. By senior year, I was missing so much school, that I almost didn’t graduate high school.
Two months before graduation, I had gone into a drug-induced psychosis. Not knowing what was wrong with me, my parents took me to the emergency room. The next day, I began an outpatient program. It was at that treatment center where I learned about the disease of addiction, and I was able to admit that I was definitely an addict. But, at that age (I was seventeen at the time), I did not think I was ready to get clean. I had to go back out and use for another couple years before I came back and got sober. But, I am very grateful for what I learned in that teen treatment center, for had I not gone there, I don’t know if I ever would have realized the true extent of my problem.
I am twenty-two now and I’ve been sober for almost two years. Since then, my life has changed dramatically. I am able to handle my feelings without having to numb myself with drugs or alcohol. I am able to experience life the way it was meant to be experienced. I feel better about myself than I have ever felt in my entire life. Through being in recovery, I have been able to look at where my negative sense of self originated and have been able to heal from that and begin a new life. Today, I am back to being a good student. I got back into running and am working towards running a marathon. Not only have I picked up my old passions again, but I have also found new hobbies, such as painting, meditation, or hiking.
My life today is amazing, and it gets better as each day passes.

I have been working at Visions Adolescent Treatment Center for about one and half years. I began my career as a Program Aide at the residential facility, and am now a Classroom Supervisor at the intensive outpatient program. Visions has helped me learn much about teen addiction and the teen recovery process in both types of treatment setting.

At the residential treatment program my job was to supervise the teens, help them self-administer medicine, and assist them with daily activities (i.e. school work, lunch etc.) I would be with the teens at every waking moment… literally. It was very enjoyable yet stressful at times. Sometimes they showed lack of respect toward authority. However, for the most part they are all great kids. After talking with them, and learning much about teen addiction I began to understand their lack of respect and rebellious actions. To some of them we were “adopted parents” for lack of better words. Thus, we were the vectors for the kids anger. I suppose I would be on edge too if I lived in house with the 10 other teens, and had someone telling me what I could and could not do at all times. I began to further understand and respect then as time went on. I left the Visions residential program with a clear picture what it was like to live at teen treatment centers, and a almost clear view of what it is like to be a teen addict.

Currently, I work at one of the Visions teen intensive outpatient programs as a Classroom Supervisor. Here my job is to make sure the kids are working on things they are supposed to be and not looking at inappropriate things on-line, helping then with school work, and disciplining as necessary. I thoroughly enjoy working here, because I get to interact with the kids more. Here they have more freedom, and are able to live a more “normal” life, meaning they get to live at home, drink coffee, go on dates, etc. Generally speaking, they are in better moods here. Also, they appear more “real” here, and not doing/saying things just to escape the clutches is inpatient. I love seeing the kids grow and progress in the their recovery.

Being a witness to both sides of teen treatment centers has given me much insight and respect for teens who are suffering/recovering from teen drug addiction. I cannot imagine being addicted drugs as a teenager. The kids have given me a window into that world. Furthermore, the staff at Visions Adolescent Treatment Center are all great roll models for the kids, and 99.9% of the time calm, cool and collected dealing with any issues. I am pleased and honored to be working for such a remarkable establishment.

Growing up with everything a kid could ever want. I never would have predicted I would become a teen drug addict and a teen alcoholic. I came from a good family and a sheltered environment. When things got rough at an early age I didn’t know how to deal with life. I turned to the one thing I promised myself I would never do, drugs. Some of my friends experimented with drugs and could stop. I was different. I couldn’t stop and I knew I had a problem. My problem rapidly began to tear me and my family apart and my parents sent me to teen rehab. They told me I was a drug addict. I didn’t believe it fit my criteria. I thought a drug addict had to be old or homeless. I was wrong. I learned what an addict was and I was told that I had to get sober, free of all substances. As a teenager I thought I was too young. All of my friends that were my age could take a sip of alcohol at a party and be fine, I couldn’t. This was devastating to me. At first I didn’t want to deal with having a different lifestyle than people my age, never being able to party again. But what I didn’t realize was that there was a large community of people my age doing the same thing. Hundreds of young people who were drug addicts and alcoholics getting sober, some of them had been thru teen drug treatment. All of us getting back on track and doing it together. At first it was hard and at times it still is. But, getting sober was the best thing I could have ever done for myself. I know I have endless opportunities ahead of me. Im the same as every other young person, I just don’t drink and use drugs.

Maggie F.

The use of Salvia Divinorum by teens entering teen drug treatment centers is becoming more common. Salvia Divinorum is a potent hallucinogen. Its effects on teen drug abusers have been compared to LSD. Salvia is a member of the sage family, and is a powerful psychoactive drug. Salvia can be chewed but is most commonly smoked as it produces a stronger effect. When smoked its effects last from five to ten minutes. “This shorter high is attractive to a teen that is trying to get high between classes or while in their bedroom…” Says a teen drug treatment client. This is a much shorter time span than other hallucinogens, but the effect has been described as having the same intensity. The effects of salvia range from a mild sense of wellbeing to a full on psychedelic trip that can cause a complete disconnection between the user and reality.
The surprising fact about Salvia is that it is one hundred percent legal in every country except Australia. This includes all US states. Because Salvia is legal it is commonly sold in cigar shops, all natural stores, and over the Internet. Salvia is also fairly cheap.This makes Salvia extremely accessible to teenagers. Teenagers are able to walk into the smoke shop and purchase this strong psychedelic drug with no imposing consequences. Because of these factors Salvia is extremely appealing to teens that cannot legally buy alcohol or do drugs.
While it is impossible to overdose on Salvia there are still many dangers involved in using the drug. Most teenagers smoke Salvia with marijuana making the act illegal. Salvia has also been known to cause depression post use. This was most highly publicized in the case of Brett Chidester, a 17-year-old student from Delaware, who reportedly killed himself after using Salvia. Although these risks do exist there has been no legislation passed to make Salvia illegal. This makes a dangerous drug available to teenagers everywhere. Tt is expected that the cases of young people entering teen drug treatment will rise as long as this drug is so readily available to them.

Living the Dream

As a teenager I never in my wildest dreams would I think I would able to have fun in sobriety and enjoy life. My definition of enjoying life was a two bottomless glasses of beer, just in case one ran out. Alcohol let me escape to being comfortable with who I was. My dream of growing up and being successful was exactly that, just a dream. There came a point were I could not enjoy my drinking if had set a limit on it. Also I could only enjoy my alcohol when I there was no control. The funny thing is when I have no control I often found myself in situations that, through my actions, set me up for complete disaster. So when I got sober, my perception of what felt good was contorted. I really had no clue about enjoying anything except through my selfish motives.

The beginning of enjoying life sober was my experience bowling. I was newly sober and my new friends invited me to go bowling. As a teen in recovery I had already made up my mind it was not going to be fun do to the fact that I would not be drunk. My head told me “Obviously everyone drinks when they bowl, why do you think they invented beer frames?” Yet little do I know that hanging out with 10 sober people bowling, talking trash, and hearty laughs was the beginning of the change of my perception of enjoying life. Soon I was able to find fun to going to movies, amusement parks, weddings, and even playing video games sober. I began to realize that I had more opportunities to express myself sober than being a slave to my addiction to alcohol. There is something stress free about not having to keep up with my lies, who was out there to get me, and who I had hurt. All because I was sober. Alcohol with no control gave me only as much fun until there was no more left. Sobriety has shown me that there is no glass ceiling to the opportunities that life offers. The freedom today, because I am sober, has given me the opportunity to be “living the dream”

Alberto P.

Nancy Reagan. My involvement with Visions and my work with teens in their efforts in recovery can all be traced, I believe, to Nancy Reagan.

I was only two years old when the first lady of our nation began championing the “Just Say No” generation into action. There were endless public service announcements and nationwide elementary school campaigns in effort to stop the next wave of drug users from making the same mistakes our parents did. sThere we were, smack dab in the middle of the decade of self-indulgence, signing sobriety pacts years before we would start wearing deodorant.

The first lady’s anti-drug movement was about as effective as all the other trickle-down syndrome policies of the Reagan administration. Fast-forward ten years and those same children were doing the same drugs we were warned about. The ‘Just Say No’ moniker, as much a part of Saturday morning as cartoons and
fruit loops, gave the impression that the disease of alcoholism and addiction was a question of will. We were made to believe that fighting this progressive and fatal affliction was so simple. “Would you like onions on your burger?” No thanks. “Would you like to trade self worth and the innocence of childhood for jails, institutions, or death?” No thanks. As we now know, there is a lot
more to it than that.

For most people, these questions are that simple, but for people like me and the brilliant young people I have the gift to work with; it takes a complete psychic change as brought forth from working the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. This is why I do what I do. It is my wish to dispel the myth of willpower as a solution to our disease, and usher a new era of tolerance and understanding in
the fight that Nancy lost.

The teen sports world is not known for its teen drug abuse as it’s high prevalence of Anabolic Steroid abuse. A report given by The National Institute of Drug Abuse says that about 1 in 20 high school athletes used steroids in 2001. Steroids are substances used to increase the amount of testosterone in the body, in turn enhancing
performance. Steroids increase protein synthesis and enhance anabolism, in the body. Steroids also stimulate bone growth, increase bone marrow and red blood cells. Anabolism results in the buildup of the body’s cellular tissues.

Steroid use is associated with numerous negative side-effects. These side effects are liver disease, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, stunted bone growth, kidney disease, aggression, impulsively, sterility, death, enlargement of female genitalia, deepening of voice, testicular shrinking, high blood pressure, increased libido and male breast growth. Also, steroids can cause the muscles to grow at a faster rate than the tendons can strengthen. The athlete can then lift more weight than their tendons or cartilage can support, causing damage to one or both. Depression is a common side effect of steroid abuse. In a study done in 2005, 20 percent of steroid abusers questioned suicide and 3 percent actually attempted it.

Most teen steroid abusers today, are known to be educated of all these negative
side effects. In another study, teen steroids abusers were asked why they still
use steroids even though they come with heavy consequences. The most common
responses were, “I have never personally encountered any negative side-effects
and believe the education is a scare tactic.” Scare tactic or not, the
consequences are real and denial will not prevent there occurrence. Despite
there illegality and dangers, steroids are a dark reality of today’s teen
athletes. Teen drug treatment centers have been seeing more anabolic steroid use in teens today.

Why is fun an important part of sobriety? Because it reminds us of an important truth, that Alcoholics/Addicts do not have to depend and rely on substances to feel good about themselves, their fellows and life. To enforce this truth, Visions puts aside days of sober fun. The fun begins in just gathering together in anticipation of the night out built up to be greatly relieved. Through out the time everyone has his/her own highlights and favorite moments but what consistently brightenes everyone’s spirits is the feeling of happiness and the comfort of a fellowship of friends sharing an experience together.

Alcoholic Energy Drinks
Your average beer contains three to five percent alcohol. Selling alcohol to a teen is illegal. Stores and their clerks are well aware of this. However, the fact that some energy drinks such as Rockstar 21, Tilt, Joose and Liquid Core can contain levels of alcohol is not well-known. Alcoholic energy drinks can contain up to six to seven percent alcohol. Many establishments that carry both alcoholic and non-alcoholic energy drinks are not aware of this. The companies who make alcoholic energy drinks have made the packaging so similar to regular energy drinks that even the person buying them might not even know. Often times these drinks are mistakenly sold to teens. The bright colors on the cans can be appealing to a younger crowd and the manufacturers do that on purpose.
Energy drinks generally contain an amount of caffeine that is equivalent to four cups of coffee. When alcohol is added to the picture, the combination can be lethal. Combining a stimulant and a depressant is not a good idea. It is said that teens like it because the “up” effect of the caffeine counteracts the sluggish effect produced by alcohol. Also, both caffeine and alcohol are diuretics and the mixture of the two together can cause a bad hangover, and in severe cases, deadly dehydration.
If you take a look at the websites for some energy drinks it is very apparent that they are targeting teens and young adults. In fact, even the teenagers who purchase these energy drinks might not know the difference between the alcoholic and the non-alcoholic ones.